Countdown to kickoff: Strength of Palmyra’s work ethic, commitment leads to on-field success

PALMYRA, Mo. — The type of character their winless season revealed helped convince the Palmyra freshmen football players better days lie ahead.

They took it upon themselves to make it happen.

“Throughout that season, I think we were a little discouraged,” said Adam Goodwin, a senior linebacker/tight end who endured that winless season three years ago. “We came together in the offseason and surprised everyone.”

That’s because effort and enthusiasm trumped excuses.

“It pushed us in the weight room,” Goodwin said. “We started lifting hard. Everyone got stronger. We just got better as a group and came together and just fought as one.”

That has to happen again this season.

The Panthers reached the Class 2 state semifinals, rattling off 12 straight victories to get there. The senior-laden team proved capable of overpowering opponents with a variety of weapons offensively and swallowing them up with a dominant defense.

Three of the linchpins of that success are with NCAA Division II football programs now, while another is wrestling at D-I Northern Illinois. There are personnel changes at a variety of positions and some younger players getting thrown to the fire for the first time.

Yet, there is an air of optimism among the returnees who have lived the ups and downs and emerged as better players and better people.

“We’ll show up and do what we need to do,” senior lineman Luke Triplett said. “The only person who is going to stop us is ourselves.”

As for the naysayers who suggest things might not go so swimmingly, Triplett doesn’t plan to listen.

“I’ve heard it from people around the town,” Triplett said. “It makes me mad. We’re going to be better than they think. It drives us to play better, work harder and go out there and hit hard.”

It comes down to the belief the name on the front of the jersey means more than the name on the back.

“They build on the legacy left by last year’s group and all the groups before them,” Palmyra coach Kevin Miles said. “They don’t hang their heads. They don’t worry about what we lost. They just say, ‘Hey, it’s my turn to shine.’ They just come in and work hard. They know their role and take over.

“We’ve always had the next-up mentality. A kid gets hurt or a kid quits, somebody steps up to take on that role. We just know what we have to do.”

What the Panthers must do is simple enough — run the ball with purpose, diversify the offense and get multiple players involved. That’s at every position, including quarterback where junior Collin Arch will likely be the starter but Aaron Ritchie has earned snaps.

The same thing holds true in the backfield. Nolyn Richards will be the power back with Landyn Smith playing a hybrid running back/wide receiver position and wideouts Ryan McKeown and Christian Johnson capable of making big plays.

An offensive line featuring Triplett as the anchor and Brayden Madden as the hammer should open plenty of holes.

Defensively, it’s the same way. Madden and Triplett provide experience up front, Richards is a bonafide thumper at linebacker and Smith and Arch are returning all-staters in the defensive backfield.

“Fast and hard-hitting,” Goodwin described the defense.

As encouraged as the Panthers are, they’re equally cognizant there may be bumps in the road. That’s OK. They’re equipped to deal with whatever comes their way.

If a winless season couldn’t derail them, nothing else can. 

“It’s our mindset,” Goodwin said. “Getting after it, not letting little things affect us, forgetting about the adversity and keep pushing.”